


The Bridge Between Stars

by asongofhopeandjoy



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Ambassador Katara (Avatar), Bisexual Katara (Avatar), F/M, Hakoda (Avatar) Ships Zutara, Hakoda (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Humor, Minor Bato/Hakoda (Avatar), Minor Sokka/Suki, Poetry, Post-War, Qixi Festival, Romance, Secret Admirer, Water Tribe Chief Katara (Avatar), Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, valentines day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29432271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asongofhopeandjoy/pseuds/asongofhopeandjoy
Summary: “I always suspected you had a tiny little crush on Fire Lord Zuko.”Katara’s cup smashed into tiny pieces when she dropped it.“EXCUSE ME?!”“Okay, maybe calling it a tiny little crush is inaccurate.” Hakoda smiled. “Given how red your face is right now, I’d say you have a big, massive crush on Fire Lord Zuko.”Katara gets a love letter from a secret admirer, but is it from the person she wants the most?
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 44





	The Bridge Between Stars

“Are you sure you want to do this?” A solemn shadow cast over Hakoda’s face. Katara’s eyes ping-ponged between her father and her brother, twitching in her seat as she watched Sokka breathe through his nose and smile up at Hakoda. It was snowing heavy outside their igloo, but Sokka looked like he was about to welcome the first day of spring. 

“I’m super sure about this dad!” Katara’s eyes darted back to Hakoda, his serious expression still set in stone. 

“Well…” Hakoda clapped Katara on the shoulder, his voice buzzing with delight. “Then Congratulations Southern Water Tribe Chief Katara!” 

Katara breathed a sigh of relief that she didn’t know she had been holding. 

“ _ Future _ Water Tribe Chief.” Katara corrected him. “You’re still the chief.” 

“And a mighty proud dad!” Hakoda’s chuckle was like a small campfire that had just been ignited, his mirth slowly warming up a room that had been previously frigid with the cold. “And congratulations to you too Sokka, Grand Master of The White Lotus. When are you going to pop the question to Suki?” 

Katara noticed how Sokka’s posture seemed to relax when Hakoda asked him that question. If she weren’t so proud of her brother, she would have cracked a joke about his feigned arrogance. Sokka had rocked up to their father’s home like he wasn’t nervous about how Hakoda would react to passing his birthright to his sister, so he could take on a different role and start a new life with Suki. He claimed to be ‘relaxed’, ‘unbothered’, ‘Mr. Ice Cold’. A smooth talker who could convince firebenders to buy matches. 

“As soon as I set foot on Kyoshi Island!” But Katara could tell how relieved her brother was. Sokka grabbed the engagement necklace he had been working on for  _ hours _ with the head jeweler and excitedly held it up to Hakoda like a little kid showing their dad their latest art project. “Look, I shaped the carving into a sword and fan! It’s kind of mine and Suki’s thing!” 

“Impressive…” Katara giggled at how Hakoda took a moment to admire the pendant, appraising it as if he were a real jeweler. Her dad could be so cute sometimes. “I’m sure Suki will love it, son. I hope you and her are happy exploring the world together.” 

“See, I told you that you had nothing to worry about.” Katara smugly sipped her tea as she watched Sokka’s eyes water, before he flung himself into Hakoda’s arms. 

“Thanks Dad.” he whimpered, ignoring Katara to enjoy the tenderness of the moment. His sister, who loved him very much, decided to allow him to be rude. Just this once. “It means a lot.” 

These were the kinds of wholesome family moments Katara dreamed of before they defeated Fire Lord Ozai. If Gran Gran weren’t visiting her friend on the other side of the village, everything would have been perfect. 

“I’m so happy you’re settling down with such a nice girl.” Hakoda squeezed Sokka like he was a teddy bear, fatherly affection radiating from him. Without so much as sparing Katara a glance as he patted Sokka’s head, he said: “Now we just need to find someone nice for Katara.” 

Katara choked on her tea. 

“Excuse me?!” 

“I know you and Aang had an amicable breakup, but I hear you two are still quite good friends.” Katara wanted to whip off Hakoda’s eyebrows when he started waggling them suggestively. “Why not rekindle an old flame?” 

Katara snorted. “Trust me, that flame is never being rekindled.” 

Aang meant the world to Katara but during their relationship, she found out that they had very different ideas about how to raise a family and she was relieved to realise how incompatible they were before things got too serious. Learning about Aang’s plans for the future literally saved their friendship, so she wasn’t going to risk it by getting back together with him. 

“Really? He seems like he would be such a nice son-in-law.” Hakoda pouted. 

Sokka clapped his dad on the shoulder. “Dad, trust me. I love Aang, but Katara had good reasons for ending their romantic relationship. Trust her judgement.” 

Katara could have given Sokka a big, wet smooch right then and there but her father was not willing to leave things alone. 

“Okay, how about Haru?” Hakoda asked. “You always did think he was cute.” 

“I’ll think about it if he shaves off that mustache.” Katara was lying. She thought Haru was cute, even with the hairy caterpillar living on his top lip, but she didn’t want to encourage Hakoda. 

“Okay, then what about one of your female friends? Toph is quite a handsome lady.”

Katara spewed her tea all over Sokka. 

“You told him!” Katara pointed an accusatory finger at her brother. 

“I didn’t, I swear!” A soggy Sokka crawled behind Hakoda for protection. “We were tidying the house and dad found those pamphlets about bisexuality that the nice lady from Ba Sing Se gave you! For once my big mouth is not responsible for causing trouble!” 

Katara growled, ready to pounce on Sokka before Hakoda wrapped an arm around her. 

“We’re sorry we went through your stuff. Sokka dropped your bag and the pamphlet came flying out. I already saw what it was before your brother nearly broke his spine trying to hide it.” Barnacles! Katara couldn’t be mad at Sokka now. “But it doesn’t matter to me in the slightest and I hope you know everyone in this family loves you for who you are.” 

“Really?” Katara teared up. 

“Of course.” Hakoda gave Katara a sweet little peck on the forehead. 

Katara was wrong. Her dad wasn’t a campfire, he was summer incarnate and she squeezed his torso in an attempt to wordlessly communicate that feeling to him. 

“And I bet Toph would like to be a part of this family too, if you gave her a chance!” 

Katara wondered if she could invite Zuko down to the South Pole to not only help burn her father’s eyebrows off, but his full head of hair too. Surely she could propose that the world leaders could do things like that for one another with no questions asked, right? Peace and prosperity required a willingness to do anything for their fellow nations, right?! She was the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe now. If friendship wasn’t enough to get Zuko to do what she wanted, maybe her newfound position and power was. 

Zuko WILL help her get back at her annoying father, damn it! 

Oop, time to come back to reality. 

“No.” Katara was putting her foot down. She had dreamed about finding her one true love and getting married and having lots of babies. She wouldn’t have tortured Aunt Wu with all those questions if she hadn’t wanted to start a family. For Tui and La’s sake, she wouldn’t have broken up with her first boyfriend if she didn’t want to find a place of her own and raise her kids in a stable and loving environment. But she was going to do all that when she was good and ready! “I’m not dating Toph!” 

Hakoda stroked his chin, humming as the solemn shadow returned to his face. Katara returned to drinking what was left of her tea, relieved that her father had stopped going through her list of friends to try and get her shacked up, until the older man slapped himself on the forehead. 

“Of course you don’t want to date Toph.” Yes! Her father finally got it! Katara and Toph were friends and that was that! Two sapphics could be friends without anything romantic going on, she was glad her father understood this! Now maybe he would be able to understand that she could be friends with several dudes and not want to date any of them! 

“She’s not the one you’re sharing love letters with every fortnight.” Hakoda looked like a detective who had just found their perp after a long, high octane chase. “I always suspected you had a tiny little crush on Fire Lord Zuko.” 

Katara’s cup smashed into tiny pieces when she dropped it. 

“EXCUSE ME?!” 

“Okay, maybe calling it a tiny little crush is inaccurate.” Hakoda smiled. “Given how red your face is right now, I’d say you have a big,  _ massive _ crush on Fire Lord Zuko.” 

Katara wanted to throw her brother out the door because he was laughing so hard tears were coming out of his eyes, but she NEEDED to correct her father’s delusions before dealing with anything else! 

“THOSE AREN’T LOVE LETTERS, THEY’RE LETTERS! JUST NORMAL, NICE, FRIENDLY AND  _ PLATONIC _ LETTERS! I READ ONE TO YOU THE OTHER DAY!” Surely Hakoda should know she wouldn’t read her love letters in front of her father?! 

“You said his obsession with turtleducks was cute.” Hakoda smirked, as if he had cracked a secret code. “Your mother thought my obsession with octopuses was cute too.” 

Katara groaned as Sokka slapped his thigh and laughed like a chittering monkey. 

“Well I’m not mum!” Katara snapped. “And Zuko and I are just friends.  _ That’s all _ .” 

Hakoda leaned in towards Katara, appraising her the way he had appraised Sokka’s betrothal pendant. Katara refused to look the silly man in the eye as he did this, instead opting to grab a brush and pan to tidy up the shards of her broken cup. 

“Okay. I believe you.” He clearly didn’t. “But if you start to think that Zuko isn’t so bad looking-”

“I never said he was!” Katara jumped to Zuko’s defence. 

“Just know that you have my approval. I trust he will treat you right and you two always seem happy when you’re together. I barely saw Zuko during his last trip here because you insisted on taking him to see all the sights.” 

Katara blushed when she heard her brother coo ‘oooooooh!’ 

“Smoochy smoochy, someone’s in loooooooooooooooovee!” 

What? No! That was ridiculous! She hadn’t seen Zuko in months! You couldn’t be in love with someone if you never saw them. Sure seeing Zuko’s royal insignia on a rolled up scroll always brought a smile to her face, even after a long and stressful day, but that couldn’t replace the kind of affection that could only grow from day-to-day contact. 

And while it was true that when Zuko did visit the South Pole, they always had an amazing time together, that didn’t mean she had romantic feelings for him! That would be like thinking you could marry the guy you just met on the beach during summer vacation! 

Katara growled and grabbed her brother by his ear. “We’re going to pick up Gran Gran now!” 

“Just think about what I said!” Hakoda shouted after them, ignoring Sokka’s shouts of ‘ow, ow, ow!’. “It would not only be a great political match for you, but your steam babies would be so cute!” 

“WHY did you teach him that word!?!!” Katara screamed at Sokka. 

“I didn’t!” 

* * *

**Three years later**

“Have a good trip my dear!” Katara could still remember how Gran Gran smelt of sea-salt as the old woman embraced her. “I’m so sorry we can’t come with you during your first outing as the Chief of the Water Tribe.” 

“Freaking Hasook, having to have a baby when my daughter is going to her first peace summit as our leader… For crying out loud…” Hakoda could be heard mumbling in the background as he helped pack the last of Katara’s bags. 

“Don’t worry Gran Gran, I’ll be fine. All those years spent as a Water Tribe Ambassador in the Fire Nation have prepared me for this.” Katara was very familiar with the Fire Nation Court, its traditions and rituals. She was even looking forward to seeing some familiar faces again. “I won’t let you down.” 

“I know you won’t.” Katara could still feel the warmth of her Gran Gran’s lips on her cheek as she kissed her. Her motherly affection helped Katara during the cold, frosty nights on the Water Tribe ships. “I know you’ll make us proud!” 

“But don’t forget to have fun!” Hakoda butted in. “Particularly with that handsome Fire Lord. I heard he just broke up with his girlfriend! He would probably appreciate it if a pretty girl tried to cheer him up!” 

Gran Gran rolled her eyes at her son. 

“Hakoda, be quiet and finish packing Katara’s bags! She doesn’t have time to worry about Fire Lord Zuko!” Gran Gran said. “And if you want a Water Tribe and Fire Nation alliance so bad, why don’t  _ you _ marry him? Hmm?” 

“I don’t think Bato would like that very much mum.” Hakoda scratched the back of his neck. “He’s always going on about how I and Kya are the only ones for him.” 

“Then hush!” 

Katara giggled at the memory. She loved her Gran Gran so much. 

She remembered the old lady watching her son leave the room, before handing Katara a small bundle. 

“Make sure you give this to Zuko when you see him.” 

Katara opened the bundle to look at what was inside. 

“Candy?” 

“I heard the Fire Nation exchanges candy during the Qixi festival, to show their appreciation to someone they care about.” 

Katara’s cheeks burned. 

“Not you too Gran Gran!” The Qixi festival was the most romantic holiday in the Fire Nation and Zuko would have most definitely thought Katara was trying to get with him if she started offering him gifts! 

“I’m not pressuring you to do anything with this candy! I just feel bad for the boy.” Gran Gran said. “He got dumped before the most romantic holiday in his nation, and now he has to face all those nobles who want him to pop out a baby since yesterday. Can’t you empathise with him?” 

Curse Gran Gran. 

“I’ll make sure he receives it.” Katara pouted as she kissed Kanna’s wrinkly forehead. She’d be plotting with Zuko to find ways to cut off Gran Gran’s hair if she were anything else, but she couldn’t fault her for wanting to comfort a heartbroken man. 

To be honest, Katara was kind of relieved Zuko was single again because she and him could have fun without his ex-girlfriend hovering over them, as if Katara was an ice dragon about to snatch her boyfriend and take him back to the Southern Water Tribe. Mai got jealous too at times, but at least she’d leave them alone to have their own adventures from time to time. 

Katara was here in the Fire Nation to do her job as the representative of the Southern Water Tribe, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t catch up with an old friend and make sure he forgot all about the Qixi festival. Team Avatar would be back together again for the peace summit in the Fire Nation, so it was a perfect time for the old gang to cut loose and forget about their troubles. 

“Welcome, Southern Water Tribe Chief Katara.” Lady Ursa bowed as she and her entourage welcomed Katara, dressed in her finest gold jewellery. Katara wasn’t surprised to find the elegant noblewoman here among the Fire Nation Court, she had spent a lot of time helping her son run the country after she had been reunited with her children. “It is our pleasure to have you stay with us during the Peace Summit.” 

“Thank you Lady Ursa, I’m so honoured to be here.” Katara searched for another pair of gold eyes in the crowd. “Where’s Zuko?” 

Ursa gently held Katara’s hand and squeezed it, as if she were comforting a distressed maiden. “My son really wanted to be here, but unfortunately his meeting has gone on longer than expected. He sends his sincerest apologies.” 

“But it’s night time!” Katara gawked at the older woman. Katara made sure she and her crew would arrive in the evening, while there would be less people milling around the palace. She knew after a long journey at sea, she’d be too tired to talk to so many people. 

“When you are hosting a peace summit, there is no time for sleeping.” Ursa smiled at Katara. “Though I think he’d have time for a nap if he would delegate some of his less important tasks.” 

“Don’t worry Lady Ursa, I’m going to insist the Fire Lord take a nap as soon as I see him because he’s going to need all the energy he has for all the fun activities I have planned for us!” 

One of the ladies of the court couldn’t help but chuckle to herself, until she noticed Lady Ursa’s eyes glaring at her. The young lady had the sense to hide her face behind a fan. 

“I’m sure he will love that, Chief Katara.” Ursa smiled at Katara. “And please… Call me Ursa.” 

Once all the expected pleasantries were over with, Ursa wasted no time taking Katara and her crew up to their chambers. The Fire Nation palace was nothing like her father’s igloo back in the South Pole (which was bigger than most people expected), but she could see the effort Zuko, Ursa and Iroh put into making their place feel like a real home with all the flowers, souvenirs gifted to them by people from all over the four nations and the little dragon and turtle duck statues. 

Katara also noticed that Fire Lord Sozin, Azulon and Ozai’s portraits were nowhere to be found, but she decided not to inquire about their whereabouts. 

The piece de resistance was Katara’s bed though. She had to resist the temptation to just dive into the king-sized bed so she could pass out and dream about all the turtleducks she was going to feed in Zuko’s garden. It simply wouldn’t do to behave like a child in front of a Fire Nation monarch. 

Zuko was an exception because she still had doodles of him when he sported a shaved head and a ponytail. She often whipped those out whenever he got sassy with her. 

“Sweet dreams Katara.” Ursa bowed to her once more. “I wish you a pleasant stay.” 

“Thank you Ursa, please have a good night.” 

Finally… She could be embraced in the arms of the person she loved the most… Sleep. 

“Huh?” she blinked when she saw a rolled up scroll lying on her pillow. 

“This must be one of those ‘mints’ Sokka said hotels have started putting on people’s beds to get more customers. It’s a bit late to be having snacks now, but I can treat myself this once!” 

Katara gleefully opened the scroll, only to be disappointed at the lack of candy. She would have thrown it away, but couldn’t help read the elegant handwriting scribbled onto the paper: 

“Roses are red,

Violets are blue, 

Turtleducks are cute,

But this Qixi festival, 

My heart burns for you.” 

It took Katara’s sleep deprived brain a few seconds to process what the letter was saying.

“Oh my gosh…” 

She hadn’t been in the Fire Nation for more than an hour, but she already had a secret admirer for the Qixi festival. 

Great! 

**Author's Note:**

> The Qixi festival is actually a romantic holiday that takes place in China. I won't go into detail about it here because I may use more information about the festival to inform the rest of this fanfic, but I thought you would all enjoy this fun fact!


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